More than Two Million Animals Dead Over Extreme Weather Hits Mongolia
- British Red Cross
The deadliest dzud on record was the winter of 2010 to 2011, when more than 10 million animals died – almost a quarter of the country's total livestock at the time.
Snowfall this year – the heaviest since 1975 – has compounded herders' woes, trapping them in colder areas and making them unable to buy food and hay for their animals from the nearby towns.
Mongolia is one of the most sparsely populated countries in the world and about one-third of its population of 3.3 million people is nomadic.
The government has promised to help, launching a campaign to deliver hay fodder to herders in a bid to prevent further losses of crucial commodities like meat and cashmere, one of the country's top exports.
But for now, Tuvshinbayar and his fellow herders can only pray for warmer weather.
"It is becoming too hard to be a herder, we suffer drought and flood in summer and dzud in winter," he said.
"I'll start losing my animals if the snow does not melt in the coming months. All herders are praying for warmer weather to melt this ice, so our animals can reach the grass," he added.Â
Kampanye Asimiliasi Tiongkok di Mongolia Dalam Kini Meluas ke Ranah Digital
Kampanye asimilasi Tiongkok di Mongolia Dalam memasuki fase baru yang mengkhawatirkan. Dahulu terbatas pada ruang kelas dan lembaga resmi, kini meluas ke ranah digital.
